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Defending Nature: How the US Military Protects Threatened and Endangered Species
The United States Department of Defense has more than four hundred military bases across the country. They are used to house and train personnel, keep watch of enemies, support allies, and . . . protect America's plant and animal species. The Sikes Act of 1960 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 require military bases to collaborate with federal land management agencies to protect the endangered or at-risk species within their borders. On Eglin Air Force Base, scientists and soldiers work together to study and manage endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, and reticulated flatwoods salamanders. Discover the unique challenges endangered species face and the work the military is doing to protect them.
- GenresNonfiction
56 pages, Library Binding
Published September 10, 2024
6 people want to read
About the author
Sneed B. Collard III
92 books38 followersSneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 13, 2024
Who knew? I thought it was all Fish/Wildlife Service and Customs officials from the Fed as well as backup from each state's Natural Resources departments (like it is in Wisconsin and Minnesota). Trying to read this on NetGalley phone app was ridiculous, and it wouldn't download to pc. Looks like a fantastic addition to ANY library!
December 2, 2025
What do you think of when you think of the American military? (No, don’t think about ICE agents. They’re a symptom of a horrific kakistocracy that’s taken over the United States and rarely feature the properly trained individuals you’d find in a standing militia.) Do you imagine armed men and women in uniform, toting guns and firing at other armed combatants? Do you think of people in rolling tanks that can mow down a house? Do you picture soldiers launching grenades at enemy soldiers? Perhaps you envision a stern-faced general in a uniform bristling with medals from all the battles in which he achieved distinction.
If that’s what pops to mind, this book will astonish you. These military personnel are concerned with more than protecting our nation from foreign threats. They are dedicated to preserving wildlife and conservation. They work tirelessly to save forest habitats and the various florae and faunae that live there.
As human knowledge progresses, we often find ourselves stumbling and falling along the way. Thalidomide was considered beneficial for pregnant women and harmless for the fetuses they carried—until their babies were born without legs or fingers coming out of their shoulders. Heroin was thought the perfect painkiller until it created a dangerous addiction for its users, a legacy that sadly persists today. Forest fires of any kind were thought to be dangerous and destructive and efforts were made to eradicate them at the first sign of smoke. If you’re old enough, you probably remember the Smokey the Bear ads that used to appear on television.
However, this book states that wildfires are a necessary and vital part of the ecosystem and preventing them had catastrophic domino effects on many forests in the United States. Thick shrubbery choked out necessary trees and understory shrubs blocked out the sunlight for low-growing grasses and other plants that certain animals rely on to survive. Here, too, the military provides a service by cautiously creating fires that root out deleterious faunae. Who knew?
So the U.S. military provides protection for endangered animals so they won’t be hunted, carefully ignites fires, observes animals that may need listing on the Endangered Species list, provides refuges for animals that are a nuisance elsewhere and keeps a sharp eye out for invasive species.
This is a book of wonder, an informative short that shines a new light on the women and men who form the armed forces of the United States. I recommend this, not just for children, but for adults who may have not known just how beneficial and dedicated to preserving life on our planet the American military is.
If that’s what pops to mind, this book will astonish you. These military personnel are concerned with more than protecting our nation from foreign threats. They are dedicated to preserving wildlife and conservation. They work tirelessly to save forest habitats and the various florae and faunae that live there.
As human knowledge progresses, we often find ourselves stumbling and falling along the way. Thalidomide was considered beneficial for pregnant women and harmless for the fetuses they carried—until their babies were born without legs or fingers coming out of their shoulders. Heroin was thought the perfect painkiller until it created a dangerous addiction for its users, a legacy that sadly persists today. Forest fires of any kind were thought to be dangerous and destructive and efforts were made to eradicate them at the first sign of smoke. If you’re old enough, you probably remember the Smokey the Bear ads that used to appear on television.
However, this book states that wildfires are a necessary and vital part of the ecosystem and preventing them had catastrophic domino effects on many forests in the United States. Thick shrubbery choked out necessary trees and understory shrubs blocked out the sunlight for low-growing grasses and other plants that certain animals rely on to survive. Here, too, the military provides a service by cautiously creating fires that root out deleterious faunae. Who knew?
So the U.S. military provides protection for endangered animals so they won’t be hunted, carefully ignites fires, observes animals that may need listing on the Endangered Species list, provides refuges for animals that are a nuisance elsewhere and keeps a sharp eye out for invasive species.
This is a book of wonder, an informative short that shines a new light on the women and men who form the armed forces of the United States. I recommend this, not just for children, but for adults who may have not known just how beneficial and dedicated to preserving life on our planet the American military is.
January 3, 2025
Welcome to the ecological work of the Department of Defense with a strong focus on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida which has won numerous DOD awards for its ecological work saving multiple species. Sneed Collard III is on a roll this year! (see his other books in 2024). This is a unique book, sharing the experiences and learning of scientists employed by the US Military to save ecosystems and species, mostly so that military work can continue on bases containing endangered species. This book gave me a sense of how very little pristine nature we have left if military bases are the last bastion of so many species! Excellent in every way – the voice is clear and the trajectory of the story is clear and this is just a terrific winner of a book. Might help indifferent kids get deeply interested in protecting nature. I certainly was thrilled to learn about the southern pine ecosystems.
June 1, 2025
Really interesting, and explained in easy to understand language. Species needs can be complex, and many are not understood.
Great book.
Great book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews